Green Gold - Confor

@forestsandwood

Green Gold

@forestsandwood

Tim LiddonConifer Breeding Co-operative

Getting You More ValueTim Liddon – Director, Conifer Breeding Co-operative

Royal Welsh Show

24th July 2018

The Conifer Breeding Co-operative

Objectives:

• To ensure that there is an adequate supply of improved vegetatively propagated Sitka Spruce resource for growers.

• Take forward the breeding programme for Sitka Spruce and the following important commercial conifers:

• Douglas Fir• Norway Spruce• Western Red Cedar• Western Hemlock

Sitka Spruce Tree Breeding

• Tree breeding in Sitka Spruce started in the 1960’s

• It is well advanced of alternative species

• Some 1700 plus trees have led to seed orchards

• More latterly controlled pollination has led to Full siblings

• There are some demonstration clonal plots but as yet no commercial plantings

• First gains were from increased growth as seen in seed orchard material

• Now more quality traits have and are being pursued.

Quality Improvement

QCISeed Orchard

Full Sibling

Clonal

Enhancing the Crown Jewels

• Better material with significant gains in key traits is now available

Full sibling materialSeed orchard material

The figures relate to the percentage gain or loss compared to unimproved QCI

Enhancing the Crown Jewels

Genetic Diversity:An interesting debate!

• QCI seed was often collected from a narrow base

• Often the easiest trees to collect from – but not always the best trees

Vs• The plus trees were collected from a wide

geographical area

• Use them wisely to give genetic variation over the forest.

Understanding the Crown Jewels

DNA fingerprinting using micro-satellite technology• Allows us and you to know what you are getting

Acoustic Velocity• Allows us to look at stiffness and thus an important

quality trait

Genomics• ‘Sitka Spruced’ - the industry and Conifer Co-op

sponsored research project involving Oxford and Edinburgh Universities

• Looking to develop Genomic Prediction (GP) for Sitka

• GP can be used to predict traits such as productivity, resistance to insect pests and tolerance to climate change.

Extending the Crown Jewels

Having started on Sitka the Co-op is now working on: • Norway Spruce

• Western Red Cedar

• Western Hemlock

• Douglas fir

• The Co-op is looking for plus trees for all of the species to set up seed orchards and clone banks

• The landrace plus trees will be compared to alternatives such as seed orchard material from Europe and Scandinavia

• The aim is to deliver improvements in quality and productivity faster than they have been able to do for Sitka.

What does all this mean?

What does all this mean?

• Timber value enhanced

• Chipwood/fuelwood value compared to Sawlogs is a £30-£40/t deficit

• So, grow trees that can maximise sawlog content

• Stronger resilience

• Better understanding of genetics

• Shorter rotations available

• Better timber from alternative species on the right site.

Contact Us

[email protected]

www.coniferbreedingcoop.co.uk

Full Members are:• Maelor Forest Nurseries• Tilhill Forestry • Forestry Commission• Forestart• Scottish Woodlands Ltd• Alba Trees plc• Christie Elite Nursery

Remember:

Good quality is always required

Key attributes are:• Straightness of stem• Small Knots and Horizontal

Branching• Stiffness

mailto:[email protected]

https://www.coniferbreedingcoop.co.uk/

@forestsandwood

Paul McleanForest Research

Paul McLean

Confor Stage

Royal Welsh Show

24th July 2018

Quality and Quantity

24/07/2018

Tree and Wood Properties

Growing forest products

•Silviculture

•Environment

•Genetics

•Tree physiology & biomechanics

•Raw material segregation

•Economics

Providing Decision Support: Primary processors, Forest owners, Researchers

www.forestry.gov.uk/fr/timberproperties

24/07/2018

Tree and Wood Properties

www.forestry.gov.uk/fr/timberpropertiesGrowing forest products

•Silviculture

•Environment

•Genetics

•Tree physiology & biomechanics

•Raw material segregation

•Economics

Providing Decision Support: Primary processors, Forest owners, Researchers

Welsh timber testing

24/07/2018

Outline

• What wood properties are important for sawn timber?

• Are we concerned about trees growing faster?

24/07/2018

Outline

• What wood properties are important for sawn timber?

• Are we concerned about trees growing faster?

24/07/2018

This is the bit where I’ll talk about Llangoed

Important for Sawn Timber

24/07/2018

Properties important for sawn timber

Bending strength

Bending stiffness

Wood density

Knots

VOLUME

Quality Quantity

Quantity

24/07/2018

YC 24

YC 6

Top H

eig

ht

m

Age Years

YC = Yield Class

24/07/2018

Strength

Stiffness

Density

Quality - Timber Grade

Strength vs Stiffness

24/07/2018

Stiffness

Density

24/07/2018

http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/density-tower-magic-with-science

24/07/2018


24/07/2018


Wood property Characteristic value

C14 C16 C18 C20 C22 C24

Strength 14 16 18 20 22 24

Stiffness 7 8 9 9.5 10 11

Density 290 310 320 330 340 350

24/07/2018

Timber Grading

Strength (5th Percentile)

Stiffness (Mean)

Density (5th Percentile)

Timber mechanical properties

24/07/2018

Timber Grading British Conifers

24/07/2018

C14 C16 C18 C20 C22 C24

Sitka spruce 100% 100% 92% 75% 58% 30%

Norway spruce 100% 100% 100% 81% 62% 30%

Western hemlock 100% 100% 95% 81% 67% 40%

Noble fir 100% 96% 77% 62% 49% 30%

Western red cedar 100% 94% 56% 38% 25% 11%

David Gil-Moreno

PhD

Timber grading

• What you need to know:

• We are obviously interested in volume

• The main wood property that will affect current value is stiffness

• Density is not the same thing as stiffness

• Single values do not mean much, we work with populations

24/07/2018

A Word About Replication

24/07/2018

= 325 million people?

Llangoed - Local Hero

24/07/2018

100m 200m


24/07/2018

100m 200mElevation 300m

Planted 2002

Seed orchard material


24/07/2018

100mElevation 300m

Planted 2002

Seed orchard material

13 stems sampled

Growth measured

Mechanical properties

tested

A Word About Replication

24/07/2018

13 Trees ≠1.7 Billion Trees

Exhibit 1 – Quantity

24/07/2018

Exhibit 1 – Quantity

24/07/2018

YC 44!YC 24

YC 6

Exhibit 2 – Quality

24/07/2018

Exhibit 2 – Quality

24/07/2018

C14

C16

C24

Recap

• Quantity is up – double YC 24

• Quality – needs compared to a control on site

• Within range, bit lower than average

• More time required

• More sites required

• 13 Trees ≠1.7 Billion Trees

24/07/2018

Exhibit 3 – Sitka spruced

06/06/2018

https://www.forestry.gov.uk/fr/sitkaspruced

@forestsandwood

Simon InksonHead of Housing

Powys County Council

The Home-Grown Homes Project

Yn agored a blaengar - Open and enterprising

Prosiect Tai o Bren Cynhenid

@forestsandwood

Stuart GoodallCEO Confor

Green Gold: The Policy ContextRoyal Welsh Show

Forestry Day

@forestsandwood

1. Policy context

2. Confor’s Planting in Wales Campaign

3. Over to you…

@forestsandwood

Po

licy

Co

nte

xt Woodland for Wales Strategy

• Welcome commitment to planting 2000ha/year by 2020

• Welcome inclusion of dedicated chapter 5 on timber

• Overall, too many aims, too few targets

@forestsandwood

Po

licy

Co

nte

xt Climate change

• Target: 4000ha new woodland per year

• Actual: substantially less than 1000ha per year since 1989

@forestsandwood

Po

licy

Co

nte

xt Climate change

@forestsandwood

Po

licy

Co

nte

xt Brexit

• Welcome ‘Land use’ not ‘farm’ policy

• Welcome recognition of timber as a crop

• Concern that ‘additionality’ will prevent productive forestry being funded

@forestsandwood

Pla

nti

ng

in W

ales

Cam

pai

gn

• Raising the presence of forestry in the media

• Assisting applicants to plant trees to reduce opposition through pro-active engagement

• Removing barriers to planting

@forestsandwood

Forestry in the media

Pla

nti

ng

in W

ales

Cam

pai

gn

@forestsandwood

Stakeholder engagement

Pla

nti

ng

in W

ales

Cam

pai

gn

@forestsandwood

Removing barriers to planting

Pla

nti

ng

in W

ales

Cam

pai

gn

1. Timber production missing from Glastir scoring

2. Large areas under designations assumed unavailable

3. Lack of public funding

4. Slow and inefficient process to confirm permission to plant

@forestsandwood

Working together – Confor and you

Green Gold - Confor

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